The Tories' euro-group AECR claims to support "freedom of speech ... freedom of ...association".

On 4 November 2013, four journalists were given life sentences for alleged links to a far-left organisation and another journalist was also sentenced. The European Federation of Journalists reports - http://bit.ly/1upuPNM - that the total sentence for these five journalists amounts to 3000 years. "The verdict is a disgrace to the Turkish judicial system and an expression of the absolute power of the government. It further shows that the regime does not tolerate any criticism," said Mogens Blicher Bjerregård, EFJ President.

On 8 November 2013, the AECR "was delighted to welcome" Turkey's ruling AK Parti into full membership, crowing that its "agenda strikes a chord with [those] crying out for a change". Some cry, some change!

The Conservatives are also allied (edgpace.org, chaired by a Putinist Russian MP) with the AK Parti and President Putin's United Russia in the Parliamentary Assembly to the Council of Europe: one of the tasks of this Assembly is to appoint judges to the human rights Court.